“Death of four journalists in El Salvador”, “Six journalists reported missing”, “Release of three journalists detained on spying charges”—these are just some of the headlines of recent dispatches calling to mind the problem which we will be dealing with in this article: journalists who do their job in situations of armed conflict run risks. What provisions does public international law make to protect them and to facilitate the exercise of their professional activity?

1) On some simple truths by way of introduction to arouse the interest of the reader

— The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as an organization, has no rights of its own; the only ones it exercises are those of the silent victims in whose name it speaks.

— Were it not the defender of the fundamental principles of the Red Cross, of which it is the guardian, the ICRC would be just one more voluntary agency, with a small budget.

More than seven years have elapsed since the first edition of this work. Seven years which have seen an increase rather than a decline of violence, and often an increasing contempt for life and for fundamental human rights.

The first Statutes of the International Red Cross date back to 1928. Until then, the International Red Cross had no constitution.

It should not be deduced from this that the subject had not been considered. The First International Conference of the Red Cross (Paris, 1867) and the Second (Berlin, 1869) studied the question of the international organization of the Red Cross. Deferring consideration of the topic to a later session, they confirmed the ICRC in the tasks assigned it by Article 10 of the Resolutions of the 1963 Conference:

“The exchange of communications between the Committees of the various countries shall be made for the time being through the intermediary of the Geneva Committee.”

You have once again kindly invited the International Committee of the Red Cross to take part in your annual conference. We greatly appreciate the honour shown to our institution and the expression of confidence which your invitation represents, and I wish to thank you most sincerely.

Human rights, particularly civil and political, have influenced the latest developments in international humanitarian law, especially 1977 Protocol II relating to non-international armed conflicts. At the Teheran Conference in 1968 the United Nations began to reconcile these two branches of international law; it was at this Conference that international humanitarian law was first called “human rights in periods of armed conflict”. This rapprochement was helped further by the adoption in the 1977 Protocols of some basic rules identical to those in the Human Rights Conventions; it helps strengthen the protection of human beings in situations of armed conflict.

On 30 June, the ICRC, acting as a neutral intermediary at the request of all the interested parties, arranged for 55 persons held by UNITA (the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola) to leave Angola on board an aircraft chartered for the purpose. This group consisted of 45 Czechoslovaks (including 38 women and children) and 10 Portuguese citizens; they had all been taken prisoner in March at Alto Catumbela, near the country's Atlantic coast. The Portuguese citizens were handed over to their diplomatic representatives in Johannesburg (South Africa) and the Czechoslovaks were flown on board another ICRC aircraft to Kinshasa (Zaire), where they were handed over to the consular authorities of their country. Before the transfer, three ICRC delegates, accompanied by a nurse and a doctor, spent a week at a UNITA base in southern Angola, where they gave medical care, distributed food, clothing and transmitted family messages to the detainees.

The very first National Red Cross Societies were formed, on the initiative of Henry Dunant and his colleagues in that private Genevese association that was later to take the name of the “International Committee of the Red Cross”, precisely to come to the aid of wounded soldiers.

I should like to thank you most sincerely for giving the International Committee of the Red Cross an opportunity to speak at the important debate which marks the beginning of the annual session of the Executive Committee of the High Commissioner's programme and to express our satisfaction at the harmonious collaboration which has been established with the UNHCR, where we are always sure of finding understanding, support and determination to reach a solution for the problems confronting our two institutions.

As head of the ICRC Information Departement in Geneva, I have the dual task of directing all activities relating to the dissemination of knowledge of international humanitarian law, and of promoting the relations of the ICRC with representatives of the mass media. I shall be commenting briefly in the following pages from this dual point of view, although I wish to make it clear from the start that I am neither a jurist nor a journalist.

The following document, which was drawn up by the ICRC Relief Division, was presented and discussed at the “Regional Disaster Preparedness Workshop” held in Maseru, Lesotho, from 16 to 21 May 1983. The International Review considers that it merits the attention of all National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

I am very honoured and pleased to be given the opportunity to explain to you the role of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and some of the logistical aspects of its assistance activities. No doubt many of you know about the Red Cross in general but it might be of interest to you to hear about the special position and role of the ICRC in the Red Cross movement and among all the many other humanitarian organizations. I shall afterwards explain what are the logistical difficulties the ICRC must overcome in its assistance activities.

The President of the ICRC, Mr Alexandra Hay, accompanied by Mr Sergio Nessi, Chief of the Financing Division, and Mr G. B. Bacchetta, regional delegate for the Arabian Peninsula, went to Saudi Arabia on a short mission from 25 to 29 March.

Article 98, paragraph 1 of Protocol I, provides that:

“Not later than four years after the entry into force of this Protocol and thereafter at intervals of not less than four years, the International Committee of the Red Cross shall consult the High Contracting Parties concerning Annex I to this Protocol and, if it considers it necessary, may propose a meeting of technical experts to review Annex I and to propose such amendments to it as may appear to be desirable. Unless, within six months of the communication of a proposal for such a meeting to the High Contracting Parties, one third of them object, the International Committee of the Red Cross shall convene the meeting, inviting also observers of appropriate international organizations. Such a meeting shall also be convened by the International Committee of the Red Cross at any time at the request of one third of the High Contracting Parties.”

At its meeting on 20 January 1983, the ICRC Assembly elected a new member, Professor Hans Haug, who will assume his new function on 1 March 1983.

Should the colours of the Red Cross emblem be standardized?

This seems to give concern to some members of the Red Cross movement and the ICRC has been asked the same question on several occasions. One proposal was that the colours of the emblem be defined scientifically and that only those shades which comply with the standards thus adopted be used for our movement's armbands, flags, distinctive signs, for the writing paper and the publications.